Monday, December 3, 2007

Awhile back, somebody asked how Palermo's compared to Milano's. Well, I finally made it to Milano's so I can finally comment on how they compare.

Milano's edges out Palermo's in the main entree category and price. Palermo's wins for style (ambiance), dessert and location. So, its really sort of a tie. As with Palermo's, Milano's is not BYOB. Bummer.

I had the chicken parmigiana and my fiance had the cannelloni. Both were delicious and if I'm not mistaken, cheaper than Palermo's. The food was terrific here. The flavors were what I expect from a delicious strip center Italian joint and they reminded me of my favorite Italian place (Armends in Southlake). As I mentioned in my Palermo's post, I am not an Italian food critic and I tend to go easy on these places because my palate is not refined (I think corn dogs should be used more on Top Chef).

Personally, I think chicken parmigiana should be very thin. It is at Milano's. Plus they had a great sauce, so the restaurant won my heart. At Palermo's I had the manicotti so I can't directly compare the two. However, I liked the marinara sauce at Milano's a little more.

There are two things I can compare very easily though. At both restaurants I had a tossed salad with the tomato vinaigrette and the cannoli. The dressing at Palermo's seemed like cold marinara with nothing added. At Milano's it actually tasted like a dressing (with olive oil). I think Milano's won that category. I'll get marinara on my entree, not my salad. The cannoli at Palermo's beat the one at Milano's, in my opinion.

But the real reason I liked this place was that the waiters and everybody we dealt with were very nice, but you could tell they had a little Ital-itude. Italian Attitude. Just made that up. They could be Algerian for all I know, but they acted Italian. I think they even put a hit on me for asking if "Luigi couldabringamea pizza pie-yah". [Note to the Promoters of Authentic Sicilian-Texan Authority Party (PASTA Party), please don't have me killed for my Italian jokes. I have an Italian friend so I'm safe right?]

For a quick summary here's what I've got:Milano's - in a strip center on 7th. Quiet. Yuppy. Cheap. Good service. Great food.
Palermo's - in an old building on Magnolia. Louder. Hippie/Yuppy. Not expensive. Good Service. Great food.

I would say its a tie depending on what you're looking for. Palermo's seems more authentic, but beware, its a small chain (I think). Not necessarily in the bad way. Milano's doesn't have much going for it in the way of ambiance, but its a nice clean restaurant with low prices and good food.

By the way, I know I have to go eat at Nona Tata but I swear its closed every time I go by there. I will make a point to go there soon and review it. And before anybody says it, I understand that its more traditional Italian than Palermo's and Milano's. I'm excited about that since that is my main cooking style. Does anybody know if its BYOB?

Not exactly in Fort Worth, but Moni's is one of my favorites. Their original location is on Randol Mill near Fielder in Arlington, and they've recently opened a second restaurant on Blue Mound Road in Saginaw. A little drive, but good stuff.